Ultra violet light is being used to clean up sea water along the east coast as part of a multi-million pound development by Yorkshire Water.

A huge new tank on Scarborough's seafront stores storm water which would normally cause sewers to overflow into the sea, or back up into people's homes. UV light is then used to kill bacteria in the water, before it's emptied back into the sea.

ASLEF, RMT and TSSA believe that their members’ jobs and conditions, as well as the interests of passengers and taxpayers, are threatened by the Government’s failure to adequately consult over the future of East Coast.

The unions have significant concerns that despite the Brown review of rail franchising recommending that the procurement for rail franchise should take place over a minimum of 24 months, the Government is rushing through the privatisation of East Coast

They argue that, in its haste to push services back into the private sector, the Government has cut corners, including breaching its own commitment to proper consultation of stakeholders, including passenger groups and the rail unions.

ASLEF, RMT and TSSA are conscious of the disastrous end to the InterCity East Coast franchises run by GNER and National Express as well as the Department for Transport mistakes in the InterCity West Coast franchising competition.

The Unions are concerned that there is again the risk that overbidding by private operators and inadequate and rushed evaluation of the bids will, as on previous occasions, lead to cuts to staff and services and even the franchise collapsing again.

Farmers along the East Coast are racing to repair flood defences following last week's storms which left hundreds of acres of farmland under water. Another high tide has been forecast for New Year's day.

There are claims from fishermen on the East Coast that Government investment in off-shore wind farms could put pressure on their struggling industry.

When the Government announced last week it would invest more in offshore it was hailed as a major boost for Hull, and their bid to get energy giant Siemens to commit to building a wind turbine factory.

There are fears a recent change in wind farm policy could affect our region's fishermen.

Subsidies for new turbines are now focussing on offshore developments which shellfish farmers fear could mean more developments in the waters off the East Coast they operate in. The group that represents them is hoping for more cooperation from energy firms

East Coast has revealed it will freeze more than half its to-and-from London fares and have below inflation rises on others. But its regulated fares, which include season tickets are rising by 3.1 per cent.

The company said that its overall average rise for all fares from January 2, 2014 was 1.12 per cent, with unregulated fares which include off-peak fares and tickets bought in advance going up by an average of 0.8 per cent.

Fishermen on the East Coast are calling for more co-operation with the windfarm industry when planning offshore sites. They say the most important fishing grounds need identifying so they can be preserved.